Meghan Markle Joins Motherhood Project to Debunk Inaccurate Portrayal of Moms in Entertainment

By: Gerelyn Terzo

Meghan Markle is no stranger to the limelight, having made her way from Hollywood to Buckingham Palace. But now that she and Prince Harry are the parents of toddlers - four year old Prince Archie and two year  old Princess Lilibet - her priorities have shifted. These days, she’s using her platform to support America’s moms.

Through the Archewell Foundation, Markle has teamed up with Moms First and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media for the “Rewriting Motherhood” project, the mission of which is to separate real life parenting from fantasy. Markle, who reportedly provided financial support to the endeavor, stated: 

“My past experience as an actress, and now today as a producer and mother, have amplified my belief in the critical importance of supporting women and moms both behind the lens and in front of it. This report about the portrayal of mothers in entertainment highlights the gaps we need to fill to achieve true representation in the content we create and consume.” 

Actress Geena Davis of the foundation that bears her name was shocked at the results of the report, telling Vanity Fair they “didn’t reflect modern reality anywhere near as closely as I had hoped or imagined.” 

Missing the Mark-le 

Chief among the discrepancies pointed out by the report was the physical appearance of moms, the majority of whom are “white, young and thin.” Indeed, most TV mothers (57.5%) are white, while less than one-quarter are Black and roughly 9% are Latina, with the balance representing Asian or Pacific Islander ethnicities. 

You’d be hard pressed to find a TV mom who’s overweight or disabled, which as the study states is “a stark contrast to the demographics of the American population.” 

Another misconception involves gender equality, where in TV homes, the father earns the title of breadwinner 90% of the time (in homes where there’s a clear money maker). In reality, prior to the pandemic, 44% of mothers with kids between the ages of six and 17 generated at least 50% of household income, demonstrating the disconnect between on-screen families and the real world

Another missing link in TV that gives parents the wrong impression is a lack of childcare presented in shows. A mere 20% of television parents with children up to 10 years old  manage to utter the words childcare in their lines, let alone explore the different challenges that accompany “securing, coordinating and affording” it, the study states.  

Finally, television homes are usually immaculate, a slap in the face to moms struggling to keep it all together. It might not be such a tough pill to swallow if any attention was given to the behind-the-scenes efforts needed to keep a household running so smoothly. 

Instead, Hollywood generally overlooks the fact that moms often carry the household’s physical and mental loads. Fathers are contributing more than ever, but this is similarly ignored on TV, which according to the study “reinforces pervasive gender roles that relegate mothers and sidelines fathers.”  

In response to these findings, project backers addressed the staggering misconceptions, offering advice to TV executives, producers and writers in an attempt to create “more realistic portrayals of mothers on television,” per the study. 

Takeaway

It’s hard enough adjusting to life as a new mother without constantly being reminded of the unrealistic expectations that Hollywood tends to push. By lending her influence to the project, Markle may just be able to help “rewrite motherhood” so that the portrayal of moms in the entertainment world is more closely aligned with modern reality.